Dogs

Not RICHARD!

A welcome change of pace that didn't take away from the show's characters, story or impact. I enjoyed seeing Carmy and Richie outside of the kitchen, still bickering like children. The hotdog gag was surprisingly funny, and where the heck did that Xanax gag come from? Couldn't believe it. Straight out of an episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

I enjoyed seeing more of Oliver Platt as well. He was so funny.

The kitchen stuff was still really good though. Sydney continues to grow on me, as does everyone in the kitchen for that matter. And cooking and baking has never looked so satisfying.

This show is a vibe.

It's the middle of the season.. A series from very good to excellent.. The first half was beautiful. I liked many things and the positives so far are more than the negatives.. I liked how he deeply entered me into the atmosphere of the restaurant.. I liked the diversity and different cultures in the kitchen. I liked the message from the director and the fact that All chefs suffer from great pressure and fatigue only to have the dish ready for you, but you do not know how many times the food was burnt or how many times they failed to prepare it and how much suffering they went through. I get attached to the characters the most. The best character for me is Carmine. I understood his suffering, the pressures he goes through, the death of his brother, and the debt he owes. The directing was literally a masterpiece. The cutting scenes, music and cinematography are very great. My evaluation of the first half is 8.5/10.

When Carmy and Ritchie do a favor for their mob boss by hosting a birthday party for a kid, things get a little crazy. There is some hilarious byplay at the beginning, engendered by the idiocy of their status, forced to old this party. Ritchie accidentally drops some Xanax in the Ectocooler that each kid drinks, with hilarious results. Meanwhile back in the kitchen at the restaurant, things get tense between Sydney and Tina. Sydney is second in command now and it irks Tina who makes one mistake after another. Sydney is persevering because the older, less talented cook is abusive to her. The episode ends on an up note--as up as it can be for this show.

Right, that's more like it. After Ep 3 left me wondering if The Bear had lost its way, "Dogs" reminds me why I was getting excited about this show in the first place.

The episode feels focused again, centering on a particularly brutal lunch rush that pushes everyone to their absolute limit. What works brilliantly here is how the pressure builds naturally... you can feel the kitchen reaching breaking point without it feeling manufactured. The writing has found that sweet spot between chaos and control that made episode two so compelling.

Jeremy Allen White is back to being magnetic, and crucially, the supporting cast finally gets moments to breathe and show their characters beyond just shouting. The workplace dynamics feel authentic again rather than forced, and there's a genuine sense of people trying to work together despite everything falling apart around them.

The pacing is spot-on too, relentless when it needs to be, but with enough breathing room to let the tension really sink in. It's proper edge-of-your-seat stuff without being exhausting.

This feels like a show that knows what it's doing again. Back to being genuinely excited for what's next. 8/10.

A lot to unpack here. The tension, sympathy and stress level the writers where going for definitely comes through. When you really start to hate and wish bad things on certain characters, Then writers have done their job. There is also a lot of very strange, but comedic moments. I think the cast and crew nailed the gags perfectly. But there is also a lot of small little heartfelt moments, Which brings the shows engaging drama back into play. And this is what makes the show great. Want to see what ends up happening to these characters.